Work-guard for type-writing machines.



No. '747,953- PATENTED DEG. 29, 1903.

H. F. ECKERT. WORK GUARD FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLIOATIONTILBD DEO. 5. 1900.

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. NTTED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN F. ECKERT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS,TO ELLIOTT-FISHER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

WORK-GUARD FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

sEEGIFICATIONVfoi-mng part of Letters Patent No. 747,953, dated December29, 1903.

Application filed December 5,1900. Serial No. 38,806. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, HERMAN F. ECKERT, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State ofOhio, have invented a new and useful Work-Guard for Type-WritingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to type-writing machines, and has specialreference to means xo for protecting and also for assisting in theholding of a card, sheet, page, or other piece of work in the printingposition.

To this end the invention primarily contemplates a work-guard fortype-writing machines adapted to engage with the top or' bottom edge orother portion of the work to serve as a protector therefor duringthe-printing operation, as well as an auxiliary holder to assist inholding the work in the printing zo position.

A further object of the invention is t0 provide a Work-guard of thecharacter specified possessing special utility with book and loosesheetvwork in connection with book typez5 writing machines of that typeembodying a flat platen and a travelingy printing mechanism workingthereover. With machines of this character the invention may serve toclamp or grip the top edge or other portion 3o of the sheet or otherpiece of work to prevent shifting or slipping thereof, besides servingchietly to protect the edge of the work from contact with the travelingframe of the machine or any of its mechanism.

l Another object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement andmounting of the work-guard forthe top edge or other portion of the workwhich shall be movable or shiftable in the direction ot' line-spacing,th us 4o permitting of the sheet, page, or other work being protectedand held bythe guard at any point on the platen within the printingarea.

`The invention alsocontemplates an arrangement of work-guard possessingspecial value in billing or indexing work where the bills orcards arebeing printed and duplicate impressions transferred to an underlyingpage or sheet and the bills, cards, or other pieces of Work arevariously positioned with 5o respect to said underlying page or sheet.

In a broad aspect the invention has for its object to provide, inconnection with suitable holding means, a work-guard coperating withsaid means and adjustable to any posi- `tion within the printing area;also, to proplat-en in the direction of line-spacing, but I principallydesigned'for engagement with the top edge of the work.

With these andmany other objects in view, which will be readily apparentto those familiar with the art as the nature of the in- 7o veution isbetter understood, the same consists in the novel construction,combination, and relation of parts hereinafter more fully described,illustrated, and claimed.

While the work-guard attachment is necessarily capable of generalapplication and is susceptible to a variety of modifications both as tothe form thereof and its relation to the other parts of the type-writingmachine, still Vfor illustrative purposes there is 8c shown a practicalembodiment of the invention in the drawings, in which- Figure l is aplan View of the platen and guide-rails of a book type-writing machine,showing the Work-guard associated therewith in the manner contemplatedby the present invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on theline 2 Zof Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detailin perspective of one form ofworkengag ing member or clamp which has been found 9o useful in carryingout the invention. Fig. 4 is a cross-Sectional view of the same. Fig. 5is a detail in perspective of a modification, showing the Work-engagingmember or clamp fitted with auxiliary bearing-springs to provide apositive grip for the work. n

Like nu me'ralsof reference designate corresponding parts in the severalligures of the drawings. f 'l The present invention contemplates the rooidea of utilizing, in connection with a typewriting machine, aWork-guard adjustable in the direction of line-spacing and arranged toprotect, as well as to assist in holding, the sheet or other work at anypoint within the printing area. This idea may be embodied in a varietyof structures and utilized in connection with diifereut types ofmachines, although the same possesses special utility in connection withthe fiat platen of a book type-writing machine. Hence for illustrativepurposes one embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings inconnection with the'tlat platen and guide-rails of a book type-writingmachine, said platen and guiderails being designated, respectively, bythe numerals l and 2. No claim is made in the present application to themounting and arrangement of the platen and guide-rails, although thereis preferably shown the same construction and relation of parts utilizedin connection with the Fisher book type-writing machines such as are nowupon the market.

In adapting the invention to a fiat-platen type-writing machine there isemployed a work-engaging member 3, which is arranged for adjustment overthe platen l in the direction of line-spacing. This Work-engaging membermay be of any desirable form and constructed of anysuitable material;but for illustrative lpurposes it is shown in the drawings as consistingof a web or plate, preferably of a sufficient length to extend acrossthe interval between its oppositely-located guide-rails 2, upon whichthe printing mechanism is mounted to travel in the usual manner. Thesaid web or plate 3, (shown in the drawings,) may be mounted foradjustment in connection with any suitable holding means or both holdingand guiding means therefor without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Various mechanical -eX- pedients for securing these resultswill naturally suggest themselves to a mechanic; but a constructionwhich may be resorted to is shown in the drawings and consists inproviding the guide-rails 2,atthe inner sides thereof, withlongitudinally-extending grooves 4, which slidably receive the oppositeend edges of the work-engaging member or web 3, and therefore constituteboth holding and guiding means for the same. The slidable engagement ofthe end edges of the work-engaging member or web 3 within the grooves 4fcan be made sufficiently snug to provide for the frictional retaining ofsaid member or web in an adjusted position, while at the same time notinterfering with a shiftable or sliding movement to any desired pointwithin the printing area of the platen.

In the form of work-engaging member or clamp 3 shown in the drawings thesame is made sufficiently thin, so as to have no interfering projectionabove or below the plane of the guide-rails, and therefore presents noobstruction to the operation of the machine and the movementthereof overthe guiderails 2. If found desirable, thin clamping edges may beprovided upon opposite sides of the member or web by forminglongitudinal edge bevels 5, although this and other expedients in thestructural details will be left to the judgment of the manufacturer.However, in the form of the invention being described it may be founddesirable to provide the work-engaging member or web 3, at the oppositeends thereof, with slide arm extensions 6, which provide an extendedbearing for the member or web and the holding and guiding grooves 4therefor.

Under some circumstances it may be found sufficient to provide thework-engaging member or web 3 with a dat gripping or contact surface atthe under side thereof, while under other conditions it may be founddesirable to mill or roughen such surface, so as to engage with thesheet or other work with sufficient firmness to materiallyassist iuholding the same against slipping. It may also be found desirable toresort to such devices as auxiliary bearing-springs 7, fitted to theunder side of the engaging member 0r web, contiguous to the edgethereof, and adapted to provide a positive grip for the work when themember or web is engaged therewith.

Various other modifications along the lines indicated will readilysuggest themselves without further elaboration thereof and withoutillustration of other modifications, as it will be understood from theforegoing that the essential feature of the invention resides in themounting of the work-guard in such a way as to permit of the same beingadjustable in the direction of line-spacingand adapted to be arrangedupon the work at any point within the printing area of the platen.Furthermore, in the construction described the work-engaging memberiscarried by the guide-rails, so that when these rails are lifted fromthe platen or work the said member or web will be carried therewith to aposition out of the way, thus permitting a sheet or other piece of workto be readily removed from the platen or placed in position thereon--that is to say, the work-engaging member is mounted to be operated bythe rails in the movement of the latter toward and from the platen, itbeing obvious that these rails, connected at their front ends bya barand hinged at their rear ends, as shown in the drawings, constitute asupporting-frame for the writing mechanism. The work holder or guard istherefore arranged to automatically engage and hold the sheet upon theplaten and is capable of being shifted in the direction of linespacing.

[t will be observed that the use of the workguard herein described inconnection with.

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ent positions. Various other kinds of book and loose-sheet work can becarried out with better facility, accuracy, and neatness by theemployment of a Work-guard embodying the novel features of the presentinvention.v In some cases the work-guard is chiey designed forengagement with the top edge of the bill, sheet, or other piece of work,so as to not only assist in holding the same, but principally toact inthe capacity of protector for such Work from contact with the travelingmachine-frame or any of its mechanism. It will be obvious, however, thatthe said guard could be shifted to serve as a protector for the bottomedge of the work, or by the employment of a pair of the guards both thebottom and top edges of the work may be protected and held in the mannerexplained. It will also be obvious that should the conditions of theWork require it the guard could be shifted to any point thereover withinthe printing area.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, use, and manyadvantages of the herein-described workguard will be readily apparentWithout further illustration or description, as it will be understoodthat various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this in- Vention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new,and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a flat platen, of anopen supportingframe, a Hat transverse plate movable lengthwise of theframe in close proximity to the platen, and a machine supported by theframe and mounted to travel freely over the platen from end to endthereof Without interference with the plate.

2. In a type-Writing machine, the combination with a flat platen, andlongitudinal holding means, of a flat transverse plate slidably engagingthe holding means and freely movable over the platen in the direction oflinespacing, and a machine mounted to travel freely over the platen fromend to end thereof Without interference with the plate.

3. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the platen and themain tracks or guides, of a Work-guard coperating with the tracks orguides and extending entirelyacross the interval between the same, saidworkguard being shiftable over the platen in the direction ofline-spacing.

4. In a type-Writing machine, the combination with the flat platen andthe main tracks orguides for the traveling machine, of a Workengagingmember having sliding connection with and held in position over theplaten by said tracks or guides and disposed to rest upon the work toclamp the same against the upper surface of the platen.

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the flat platenandthe main tracks or guides for the traveling machine, of a workguardarranged over the platen and engaging with and movable along said tracksor guides in the direction of line-spacing.

6. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the flat platen andthe main tracks or guides for the traveling machine, of a guardcomprising a transverse Work-engaging member slidably engaging thetracks or guides and movable away from the platen therewith, said guardbeing movable over the platen in the direction of line-spacing.

7. In atype-Writingmachine,the iatplaten,

' theguide-rails provided With guiding-grooves,

9. In a type-writing machine,the combination with the flat platen andthe tracks or guides, of a work-guard for the sheet consisting of aclamping Web or plate disposed between the tracks or guides and providedwith a plurality of bearing-springs upon the under surface thereof.

10. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the stationaryplaten and a movable supporting-frame for the writing mech- IOO anism,of a work-guard for the sheet consisting of a clamp web or plateprovided with a yielding contact-surface and carried by the frame.

11. The combination with a flat platen to support the sheet, of a framesupporting thel writing mechanism and arranged for separation from Vtheplaten, and a work-holder mounted on and bodilymovable with said frameand arranged to automatically engage and hold the sheet upon the platen.

12. The combination With a fiat platen to support the sheet, of a framesupporting the writing mechanism and arranged for separation from theplaten, and a work-holder shiftable with respect to said frame andoperated thereby, said work-holder being arranged to automaticallyengage and hold the sheet upon the platen and capable of being advancedover the platen in the direction of line-spaclng.

13. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the flat platen tosupport the sheet, of a frame supporting the Writing mechanism andcapable of movement away from the platen, and a work-clamp mounted onand bodily movable with said frame and arranged to automatically engageand hold the sheet upon the platen. Y

14:. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the Hat platen tohold the sheet, of

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a frame supporting the Writing mechanism and arranged for separationfrom the platen, and a Worlbholder operated by said frame and having ayielding Work-engaging portion, said Work-holder beingv arranged toautomatically engage and hold the sheet upon the platen.

15. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the flat platen tosupport the sheet, of a frame supporting the Writing mechanism andarranged for separation from the platen, and a Work-holder shiftableover the platen in the direction of line-spacing and operated by theframe to automatically engage and hold said sheet upon the platen.

16. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a fiat platen, andlongitudinal guidin g means, of a transverse Work-guard engaging saidmeans and movable toward and from the platen and over theWriting-surface of the platen in the direction of line-spacing when inits normal position.

17. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a flat platen, andguiding means mounted thereon, of a transverse work-gu ard engaging theguiding means and shiftable over the platen in the direction ofline-spacing.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in d the presence of two Witnesses.

HERMAN F. ECKERT.

Vitnesses:

VICTOR C. LYNCH, L. J. HALLE.

